Politics through the eyes of my (much) better half

Noblesville Common Council President

Every time I write a column, I always have my wife read through my first draft. She points out any typos, lets me know if I am being clear enough with my content, and calls me out when I get too wordy or use too much political jargon. Quite frankly, she’s become a great editor and, at times, one of my biggest critics. Which is why when I brought her the draft for this column, she asked if she could just write it instead. So, here’s my column brought to you by my much better half, Julie Jensen.

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By JULIE JENSEN

The political world intimidates me. The strong opinions, personal attacks, and the idea that “my way is clearly better than your way” has always made me uncomfortable. That being said, being married to my husband has been very eye-opening. I have met and mingled with many different public servants at various levels of government, and I’ve learned more about the day-to-day operations of local and state government than I ever really cared to know. And throughout it all, I’ve developed my own opinions about what would work and what would not – some of which align with my husband’s and some that do not. This household dynamic has led to many healthy (and let’s face it, occasionally heated) discussions about what we think is best for our city, state and country.

Which has made me realize this – that while my husband and I do not always agree on the best way to do things, we are both passionate about doing what we think is right, fair and beneficial to the people around us. I have heard and seen many politicians attacked, ridiculed and teamed up against for where they stand on certain issues or for decisions they’ve made – my husband included. It often makes me wonder why anyone would run for public office in the first place.

Why would people put themselves through the bashing, slander and public scrutiny? Why would they put themselves in a position to be hated simply because their platform does not align with another’s? My answer lies in watching my husband and the countless other “politicians” I’ve met over the years. My husband is a man who is more passionate about his hometown than anyone I’ve ever met. He cares deeply about others and wants Noblesville to be a place where our children can flourish, thrive and hopefully stay to raise families of their own. And he is not alone. A majority of the people willing to put themselves on the election chopping block are similarly passionate about this city – whether their views on how to do it align with yours or not.

So, the point of this piece? To remind us all that as this election cycle approaches, the majority of the people putting their names on the ballot are, in fact, just people. People who care about Noblesville and Hamilton County and who genuinely believe in what they are fighting for.

So before you publicly bash a candidate, or claim that a candidate is intentionally setting out to “ruin” the place you call home, take a minute to think about why they’d be willing to put themselves in such a hostile and vulnerable position. While you may not agree with the “how,” you may have more in common with the “why” than you think. And as my husband and I continue to learn, healthy conversation and debate is never a bad thing.